Grapple



J. BRESLAV GRAPPLE April 28, 1942.

Filed Oct. 5, 1941 30 v20 ,/26 ,f 27K, 28

INVENTOR Jac/f Breslw:

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 2.8, 1942 einen l5 Ciaims.

This invention relates to grapples and more particularly to improvementsin grapples especially adapted to engage and lift a pile of sheet stackfor transfer to another location.

In grapples of this nature there is generally provided a pair of opposedcarrying bars, or angles, between which the pile of sheet stock extendswith its opposite side edges resting upon said bars. These bars areusually arranged to either be positively moved, or to be swung, towardand away from each other. When piles of sheet stock, the opposed edgesof which are resting on spaced apart relatively narrow bars, are liftedfrom stationary supporting means by such grapples t0 be transferred toanother location, the sheet stock ileXes downwardly between the supportpoints at its side edges, which action tends to either cause these edgesto slide off from the vbars and the pile to fall from the grapple, todispose a force upon the bars tending g t0 spread them apart to releasetheir gripping or supporting action on the pile, or to impose unduestrain thereon and upon any mechanism associated therewith to Inovethemtoward and away from each other. Usually the grapples are used to liftpiles of sheet stock longer than their width by having the opposed barsdisposed in under the edges of the sheet; stock at its smallerdimension, or width, and these bars extend lengthwise along the stocksubstantially the greater part of its length. i

It has been found that the direction of exing of a sheet, or pile ofsheets between its side edges may be controlled by inducing a tendencyin the sheet to curve upwardly or downwardly between its ends before itis lifted from its stationary support and that in so doing, the sheet,or pile of sheets, will be prevented from exing downwardly between itssides and therefore the disadvantages referred to above will beobviated.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved form of grapplewherein the above disadvantages will not be present.

Another object is to provide, in a grapple of the above nature, means toobviate any tendency for a sheet, or pile of sheets, to flex downwardlybetween spaced apart supporting bars upon which the side edges oi thesheet, or pile of sheets, is being supported.

Still another object is to provide, in a grapple of the above nature,means to induce a tendency for a sheet, or pille of sheets, supportedalong each of its side edges to curve between its unsupported ends.

A further object; of this invention is to provide an improved forni ofgrapple which will be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, readily manipulated, compact, and very efficient anddurable in use,

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, there have been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing several forms in which the features and principles of thisinvention may be conveniently embodied in practice, it being understoodthat various changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side View of a grapple adapted to engage, lift, and carrya pile of sheets resting on a stationary support to a new location, andin which the features and principles of this invention are embodied;

Figure 2 is an end View of the grapple shown in Figure 1 after the pileof sheets has been gripped and lifted from its support, the pile ofsheets being sectioned in order to clearly show the structure of thegrapple;

Figure 3 is an enlarged broken sectional view taken on the line 3--3 ofFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of one of the grapple bars shown in Figure3;

Figure 5 is a top plan View of a grapple bar of modified form;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure5;

Figure 7 is a side View of still another modified form of grapple barwith the curvature therein exaggerated;

Figure 8 is a top plan view o f another modication of this invention;and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a simpler form of grapple in which thefeatures and principles of this invention may be embodied.

The sheet stock lifting grapple selected to illustrate, in Figures 1 and2, the features and principles or" this invention is of the type fullyshown and described in a patent, Number 1,807,- 124, issued May 26,1931, to Frederick H. Meyer. Such a grapple generally includes a pair ofopposed sheet supporting bars I I and I2, each supported by pairs ofdrop legs I3 and I4, and I5 and I6 respectively. The pair of drop legsI3 and i4 supporting the bar II are `each secured, as by welding, to theend of a cross-bar I'I or I8, these cross-bars being suitably supportedon a frame I9 to slide crosswise in respect thereto. The pair of droplegs I5 and I6 are likewise secured to cross-bars 2l' and 2'2 alsosupported on the frame I9 for crosswise sliding movement. Each of theadjacent cross-bars I1 and 2|, and I8 and 22 have rack gear teeth formedtherein to be in mesh with a spur gear 23 disposed therebetween wherebythe bars II and I2 may be moved toward and away from each other tosupport a sheet, or pile of sheets, 24 or to release them, by means of ahand-wheel 25 drivingly connected to the spur gears 23 through a shaft26, bevel gears 21 and 28, and stud shafts 29 to which the spur gears 23are suitably secured. The frame I9 is provided with a member 2|) adaptedto be engaged by a hook depending from a crane, or like machine, wherebythe frame I9 and the supported sheets 24 may be lifted.

Without the provision of the novel features and principles of thisinvention the sheet, or pile of sheets, 24, when lifted from thestationary supports 3| and 32, for instance suitable parallelly disposedand spaced apart wooden beams, would assume a downwardly eXed positionbetween the bars II and I2, as indicated at F in dotted lines in Figure2. As referred to above, such a condition would tend to permit the sideedges of the sheets to slip by the bars II and I2 whereby the pile ofsheets would fall and at the same time impose a strain on the baradjusting mechanism by the urge on the bars I I and I2 to spread themapart. In order to insure that such downward flexing of the sheet, orpile of sheets, 24 does not take place when the same are lifted from thestationary supports 3l and 32, the sheet, or pile of sheets, 24 is actedupon in accordance with the features and principles of this inventionwhereby ii; is urged to curve upwardly or downwardly intermediate itsunsupported ends.

The means whereby such a condition is made possible, is, in its simplestform, the provision in a grapple of a pair of opposed and similarlyformed sheet supporting bars 33, sce Figure 7, which, in this instance,are bowed upwardly a slight amount between their ends. Bars of suchform, when disposed under the side edges of a sheet, or pile of sheets24 will induce an upward ex in the sheet as it is raised from itssupport whereby any tendency for it to ileX downwardly between the barswill be obviated.

The same, or a similar, effect may be produced by providing spaced apartblocks 34 and 35, see Figures l-l inclusive, on each of the bars II andI2. Preferably, though not necessarily, provision is made whereby thespacing between the blocks 34 and 35 may be varied to vary the effectthereof on the sheets. For such a purpose the blocks 34 and 35 areprovided with studs 35 adapted to enter any one of a series of holes3'.' formed in the bars ii and I2. The blocks 34 and 35 when spacedapart, are preferably equidistant from the center of the bars II and I2,will cause the sheets 24 being lifted to curve upwardly as indicated bythe full line in Figure 3, or to curve downwardly as indicated by thedotted line in Figure 3. By placing the blocks closer together a greaterdegree of flex, or curve, will be obtained and, conversely, the fartherapart the blocks are placed the less will be the amount of upward curveuntil a point is reached when the curve will be downward. The blocks 34and 35 therefore constitute adjustable means to vary the degree of andthe direction of curvature induced between the ends of, and in thesheet, or pile of sheets, 24 when they are lifted.

Instead of providing studs 36 on the blocks 34 and 35 and holes 31 inthe bars II and I2, the bars may be left unaltered and the means to flexthe sheets lengthwise may be constituted by members formed as shown inFigures 5 and 6. The members 38 are provided with a sheet edge er1-gaging portion 39 having a portion 4I extending upwardly therefrom withits end 42 hooked over the upstanding iiange 43 of the bars, or angle,44. In this form the members 38 may be slid along the bars 44 to adjustthem lengthwise thereon to vary the degree or direction of the curveinduced in the sheets as they are lifted by the grapple from astationary support.

In Figure 8 means is illustrated whereby members 45 and 46 similar tothe members 38 of Figures 5 and 6, are simultaneously adjustedlengthwise along a sheet edge supporting bar 41. This means isconstituted by a rod 48 threaded on its intermediate portion partly withleft-hand threads, at 49, and partly with right-hand threads, at 5I. Thethreaded parts 49 and 5I respectively threadingly engage the members 45and 46 as they pass therethrough, and, when the rod 48 is rotated, as bya hand wheel 52 secured thereto, the members 45 and 46 will besimultaneously drawn together or separated, as is den sired.

The form of grapple shown in Figure 9 includes a pair of swinging arms53 and 54 pivoted at separate points to a common support. Bars 55 and 56similar in every respect to the bars II and I2 are shown provided withcurvature-inducing blocks 51 and 5B similar to the blocks 34 and 35.

All of the forms illustrated will efciently cause the sheet, or sheets,24 to tend to ex, or curve, between the unsupported edges thereof,whereby any tendency of the sheet, or sheets, Z4 to ex, or curvedownwardly between the supported side edges will be prevented. Whilethere has been illustrated in the drawing a form of mechanism embodyingthe features and principles of this invention wherein the sheets areflexed along their greater dimension, or length, to preventobjectionable bending along their shorter dimension, or width, it isobvious that the sheets to be lifted may be wider than they are long, orthey may be square thus of equal dimension in width and length. Forinstance the bars II and I2 may be disposed in under the edges of thesheet sides of shorter dimension and the means to induce the curvetherein will act to curve the sheets along their shorter dimension toprevent objectionable bending along their longer dimension. In instanceswhere the sheets are square the induced curve is between theirunsupported ends and prevents objectionable bending between theirsupported end, or side, edges.

It will be understood that the novel features and principles of thisinvention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit and essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desiredthat the present embodiments be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the claimsrather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of theinvention.

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

l. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each sideedge thereof, and means on each of said supporting means to induce acurve in the supported sheet intermediate its unsupported ends.

2. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each ofits side edges,

and means on each of said supporting means to raise the intermediateportion of the sheet slightly out of a horizontal plane before itsunsupported ends are raised.

3. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each ofits side edges, and means on each of said supporting means to lower theintermediate portion of the sheet slightly out of a horizontal planebefore its unsupported ends are raised.

4. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each sideedge thereof, and means adjustable along the sheet supporting means toinduce a curve in the supported sheet intermediate its unsupported ends.

5. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each sideedge thereof, and means adjustable along the sheet supporting means tomove the intermediate portion of the sheet slightly out of a horizontalplane before its unsupported ends are raised.

6. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along each sideedge thereof, and means adjustable along and being disposed on each ofsaid supporting means to induce a curve in the supported sheetintermediate its unsupported ends.

'7. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars adapted to be disposedbelow and along opposite side edges of a sheet to be lifted, and meanson each of the bars to rst engage the sheet to cause it to curve fromone of its unsupported ends to the other.

8. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars,

said bars being movable toward each other and in under opposite sideedges of a sheet to be lifted, and members on each of said bars to spacethe sheet portion engaged by these members above the surface of the barsas the sheet is lifted to cause a curve to be induced in the sheetbetween its unsupported ends.

9. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars, said bars beingmovable toward each other and in under opposite side edges of a sheet tobe lifted, members on each of said bars to space the sheet portionengaged by these members above the surface of the bars as the sheet islifted to cause a curve to be induced in the sheet between itsunsupported ends, and means to adjust said members along said bars tovary the amount of curve induced in the sheet being lifted.

10. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars movable toward eachother and in under the sheet to be lifted, means to support each of saidbars from a common carrier, said bars being curved from end to end toinduce a curve in the sheet being lifted from one of its unsupportedends to the other.

11. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars, said bars beingmovable toward each other and in under opposite edges of a sheet to belifted, the bars having holes spaced apart along the length thereof, anda pair of blocks on each bar to cause a curve to be induced in the sheetbetween its unsupported ends, said blocks having studs adapted to enterthe holes in said bars whereby the blocks may be detachably secured tothe bars in various positions to vary the curve induced in the sheet.

12. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars, said bars beingmovable toward each other and in under opposite edges of a sheet to belifted, and a pair of clips slidable on each bar and extending above thesurface thereof to cause a curve to be induced in the sheet between itsunsupported ends.

13. In a sheet lifting grapple, spaced apart bars, said bars beingmovable toward each other and in under opposite edges of a sheet to belifted, a pair of clips slidable on each bar and extending above thesurface thereof to cause a curve to be induced in the sheet between itsunsupported ends, and means to simultaneously adjust the clips on eachbar to vary the curve induced in the sheet.

14. In a sheet lifting grapple, means to support a sheet along oppositeedges thereof, and means on each of the sheet supporting means andadapted to be disposed thereon to induce an upwardly directed curve inthe sheet between its opposite unsupported edges where in one positionon the supporting means and to induce a downwardly directed curve in thesheet between its unsupported edges when in another position on thesupporting means.

15. In a sheet lifting grapple, a pair of members spaced apart alongopposite edges of a sheet to be lifted, to engage said sheet edges tosupport the sheet and to induce a curve in the sheet between itsunsupported edges when said members are raised, and means tosimultaneously raise the pairs of members, the members of each pair ofmembers being movable relatively to each other to vary the amount ofcurvature induced in the sheet.

JACK BRESLAV.

